Things to Do in Davis and Thomas, West Virginia

The two towns

Davis and Thomas sit on the Blackwater River at around 3,000 feet, close enough to be treated as one destination. Davis is the practical one — lodging, gear, food, and the road to Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley. Thomas is the odd, wonderful one: a single row of buildings on a hillside above the river, with a music venue, galleries and coffee that would not be out of place in a much larger place.

Between them they cover almost everything: the highest concentration of skiing in the mid-Atlantic, the state's best-known waterfall, the Dolly Sods approach, and rail-trails running in three directions.

Blackwater Falls and the canyon

Blackwater Falls State Park is the anchor. The main falls drop over layered ledges into a canyon stained amber by conifer tannins, reached by boardwalk and stairs. Elakala Falls is a short walk from the lodge into a mossy hemlock slot. Pendleton Point is the widest canyon view and needs no walking.

Lindy Point is the one to time. A short walk through spruce ends at a railed rock ledge above the canyon, and it is the most photographed sunset in the state. In October the platform gets crowded — arrive well before the light.

The Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail runs down the canyon toward Hendricks on an old grade, and Douglas Falls, just outside Thomas, is a wide curtain with coke ovens and mine staining behind it.

Winter

This is the snowiest corner of West Virginia and it has the infrastructure to match. Timberline and Canaan Valley Resort are both within a short drive for downhill. White Grass, at Canaan, is one of the best-known Nordic and backcountry ski centers in the eastern United States and has a following that is almost cultish.

Blackwater Falls State Park runs a sledding operation in season, though it has been closed in some recent winters — check before you count on it. Snowshoeing and winter hiking in the canyon are excellent and much quieter than the slopes.

Dolly Sods and the high country

Davis is the natural staging point for Dolly Sods. Bear Rocks Preserve, the northern gateway and the most photographed spot in the state, is reached by Forest Road 75 — unpaved, rough, and not maintained in winter. From there the plateau opens into heath barrens and wind-flagged spruce.

Take the navigation seriously. Wilderness trails here are unblazed and unsigned by policy, fog arrives fast, and the plateau looks the same in every direction when it does. Canaan Mountain, closer to town, gives a similar flavour with less commitment.

Ride

Canaan Valley and Canaan Mountain hold a genuinely good mountain-biking network, and the Blackwater Canyon grade gives a long, gentle, scenic descent. Gravel riding on the forest roads around Canaan and Dolly Sods is superb and largely undiscovered.

In summer the ski areas open lifts and trails for downhill biking on a limited schedule, which is worth checking if that is your thing.

When to come

Autumn is the obvious choice and color arrives here earlier than the rest of the state because of the elevation — often late September. Winter is the reason many people come. Late summer is quiet, cool, and blueberry season on the barrens.

Spring is mud season. It is also when the waterfalls run hardest, so it depends what you came for.

Questions

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